Monumental Problems
by PFTones3482
Summary: It's President's Day at Walkerville Elementary, and Ms. Frizzle's class is ready to celebrate...or, they would be, if they knew where Keesha and D.A. were. When Keesha comes running in saying that D.A. got hurt, the class springs to action, one student in particular. Fluffy friendship!


**Yes, more Magic School Bus. I'm obsessed, okay? I can't handle the amount of adoration I have for Carlos and Dorothy Ann (specifically Carlos; the little adorkable child omg). **

**Fricking Carlos. Too many feels. Way too many. I had a dream about this. Idk what the hell happens in my subconscious. **

**I don't own the Magic School Bus.**

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GENERAL POV

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"Okay, that should be it," Tim declared, hopping off the step ladder to the floor and looking up at the streamers he had just finished taping to the chalkboard.

Wanda popped up from behind Ms. Frizzle's desk, a platter of cookies in her hands. "Yup! Everything is set for our Presidents Day party!" she cried happily, plunking the cookies down on a desk next to the punch, which Arnold was stirring.

Glancing around, Ralphie grinned. "It looks awesome in here, guys! Every president of the United States is here," he said, pointing at the paper cut outs circling the room. "Washington, Adams, Jefferson…"

"Pierce, Roosevelt, Hoover," Phoebe said with a smile, sweeping up a pile of streamers that had gotten tangled. "Every president ever! Ms. Frizzle is gonna love it! We even have a paper mâché Mt. Rushmore!" the girl cried, gesturing to the large, fake monument seated on a windowsill.

Carlos glanced around the room and tilted his head, rubbing his chin. "Wait…where is Ms. Frizzle? And D.A. and Keesha?"

A muffled thump came from the closet and Valerie Frizzle strolled out, her arms laden with hats and books, Liz perched on her shoulder. The kids rushed to their teacher's aide and helped her set everything down. Carlos grinned and plucked a top hat from the pile, sticking it on his head and puffing out his chest.

"I am Abraham Lincoln," he said in a gruff voice, frowning sternly. "I declare that we chop down a cherry tree!"

The kids giggled and Tim reached up, snatching the hat from his friend's hat. "Nice try, Carlos, but it was George Washington who supposedly chopped down the cherry tree, not Honest Abe."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "Same difference," he said with a smile, waving his hand.

"Actually, Carlos," Ms. Frizzle said with a smile, "there's quite a big difference. But before we start, where are Dorothy Ann and Keesha?"

Arnold shrugged, palms in the air. "We don't know. We thought they might have been with you."

Ms. Frizzle frowned ever so slightly and looked to Liz. "Liz, have you seen them?"

The lizard shook her head and Ms. Frizzle shrugged. "Well, children, then I guess we'll just have to-"

Keesha burst into the room, her shoes soaked. "Ms. Frizzle!" she yelped, panting slightly. "Ms. Frizzle, D.A. and I were in the bathroom washing the plates we were going to use for the party and the sink exploded!"

"WHAT?!" the class cried out in horror. Valerie's face morphed into concern.

Keesha held up her hands quickly. "Okay, okay, exploded was a poor choice of words. The pipes burst and there was water everywhere and when we started to leave, D.A. slipped and twisted her ankle pretty bad. She can't stand up."

Ms. Frizzle immediately handed Liz to Arnold and followed Keesha to the girl's bathroom, the entire class scampering after her. Ms. Frizzle turned to the kids and scanned them carefully, noting the worry on their faces, some mildly concerned and others (one in particular) filled with pure panic.

"Tim, Wanda, I need you to go get a custodian. This is going to be messy," Ms. Frizzle declared.

As the duo ran off for the janitor's office, Valerie turned to Arnold and Phoebe. "I need you two to go get the nurse for me, just in case D.A. needs a wheelchair." Liz jumped from Arnold to Ms. Frizzle as the kids ran off, and Ms. Frizzle shifted under the lizard's weight.

She glanced at Ralphie and pointed towards the principal's office. "Ralphie, I need you to go get the principal and tell him to call D.A.'s mother and tell her what happened. Liz, go with him."

The lizard hopped obediently onto Ralphie's hat and the two set off down the hall. Ms. Frizzle turned back to Carlos, who looked up at her in fear. "What do you want me to do, Ms. Frizzle?" the boy asked nervously.

Valerie laid a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here with Keesha and I and help."

Carlos gulped and nodded and Ms. Frizzle pushed gently on the door handle. It didn't budge and the woman frowned. "Dorothy Ann? Honey, I need you to open the door."

There was a sniffle from inside and Valerie didn't miss the wince that struck Carlos. "Ms. Frizzle, it's flooded in here and my ankle hurts really badly and I…my skirt….and the pipes and…."

The girl choked on a sob and Keesha frowned. "D.A., come on, you're hurt. Please open the door. If the hallway floods it won't matter. The janitor is coming."

Carlos shook his head and pushed Keesha away from the door carefully. "It's not that, Keesh," he told her, his eyes filled with understanding. The dark skinned girl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What is it then?" she demanded.

The Mexican-American smiled gently and rapped lightly on the door. "D.A.? Come on. We just want to get you out of there."

Dorothy Ann gulped audibly. "Carlos, I can't," she said firmly, her voice cracking on the last word and losing its toughness.

Carlos sighed, his shoulders drooping. "D.A., we've seen you as a bat, a mussel, a vulture, a cloud, rain, a salmon, a shark, and a bee. Whatever happened with your clothes, no one is going to tease you. I promise."

There was a long pause from inside, long enough for Wanda and Tim to return with Mr. McClean. "Okay," D.A. finally said.

Carlos smiled in relief and motioned for Keesha to stand back. "Watch out," he muttered, twisting the doorknob in his hand and pulling the door open.

Water flooded into the corridor, soaking the shoes of everyone surrounding the door. It hadn't even finished flowing before Carlos was picking his way inside, kneeling next to Dorothy Ann in the water and ignoring the liquid seeping into his jeans.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and helped the girl to her knees. "Are you okay, D.A.?" he asked in concern.

The blonde bit her lip, tears in her eyes as her ankle flared in pain, and nodded slowly. "Maybe."

Her hand reached to the side, tugging on her skirt and Carlos flushed slightly as he saw that the pipe, which was hanging by a single bolt under the sink, had torn the fabric. D.A. trembled as she gripped the skirt in her fingers and Carlos gently pulled her to her feet, helping her lean against the sinks.

Studying her for a moment, Carlos shrugged from his blue sweater, leaving him in a pale yellow t-shirt. He handed the sweater to Dorothy Ann with a small smile and the girl sniffled, tying it around her waist. "Thanks," she murmured softly.

Carlos nodded and wrapped his arm back around her shoulders. "Keesha?" he called to the stunned student. "Grab her other side?"

Keesha darted over, her feet sloshing through the water, and got on D.A.'s right side. Dorothy Ann wrapped her arms around Carlos' and Keesha's shoulders and grimaced as she put weight on her foot.

"Don't put weight on it!" Carlos said immediately, his face panicked. "Just…lean on me and Keesh. Lift your foot up and use us to walk."

D.A. gulped and nodded, lifting her swollen ankle into the air behind her. Ms. Frizzle leaned in from the doorway, her eyes glimmering in concern. "You can do it, D.A., just a few steps! Arnold and Phoebe brought the nurse, so you just have to make it to the door."

The braniac gulped and hobbled across the room, gripping Carlos' and Keesha's hands and shoulders tightly as the water splashed up around them. They reached the doorframe and the nurse reached through and helped D.A. the rest of the way, easing her into the wheelchair that she had brought with her.

Keesha and Carlos stepped out of the room, soaked from the waist down, and stood quietly as the rest of the class made a huge fuss over their friend and Mr. McClean began mopping. Keesha eyed Carlos warily.

"How did you know how to do all that stuff?" she finally asked him.

The boy jumped and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "I uh…I don't know what you mean," he stammered.

Keesha punched his shoulder lightly. "Yes you do. How'd you know how to get her to open the door? And why were you so scared when she walked on her foot?"

"Well….well it's swollen!" Carlos said in desperation. "And it was just…just a hunch."

Keesha turned to face Carlos head on, crossing her arms. "Carlos, you and I know that's not true." He gaze softened as she saw the worry glimmering in his eyes. "Seriously. What's wrong? Like you told D.A., no one would tease you."

Carlos sighed and gestured his dark skinned friend back to the classroom, where the two dug around until they found towels and spare sets of clothes. Carlos shut the door and kept his face to the wood, letting Keesha change in privacy.

"It…it's not too different from what happened with Mikey," he finally said.

"Mi-oof. Mikey?" Keesha said in confusion, hopping around as she struggled to slip into her skirt and nearly falling over. "Your brother? What do you mean?"

Carlos sighed and leaned his forehead against the door, relaxing against its cold touch. "I…when he was about three, maybe four, he started having a really hard time walking. Any weight he put on his bones…they'd be injured at the smallest things, and it made him cry a lot. It was really hard to watch, because I didn't know how to stop him from hurting. When he finally got the wheelchair…" Carlos choked up and shut his eyes, shuddering. "It was awful, that he couldn't walk. But…I was so relieved that he wouldn't be in pain from standing anymore."

He felt Keesha's hand on his shoulder and turned to face his now dry classmate. Her eyes were filled with sympathy and he glanced down at his soaked shoes and her bare feet. "The look on D.A.'s face…reminded me of that."

"Aw, Carlos," Keesha said softly, pushing him into the room and turning her face to the door to let him change. "It's just a sprained ankle, you know that."

Carlos sighed and stumbled about as he changed into dry jeans. "Yeah but…still. And knowing that she would only open the door if she knew we wouldn't make fun of her for her skirt? That's just…D.A. being herself. She isn't very confident about herself."

He buttoned his jeans and glanced up. "I'm good."

Keesha turned around slowly, her eyes scanning Carlos up and down carefully. "Carlos…how do you know that? She's only told me that, and I didn't even figure out that that's why she wouldn't open the door."

Carlos chuckled nervously. "I'm just…intuitive?" he tried feebly.

Keesha rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and scoffing. "Yeah right. You? Come on, Carlos, what's really going on here? I'm one of your best friends, you can tell me."

Carlos sighed and sank into a desk chair, leaning his cheek in his hand and breaking a cookie in half with the other. "I'd rather not talk about it, Keesha. Cookie?" he offered weakly.

She frowned, pushed the crumbling pastry aside, and sat down across from him, her dark eyes filled with empathy. "Carlos…if you have a crush on D.A., it's okay. It's kinda obvious to me."

The boy's head shot up, his dark hair swinging into his eyes. "I…what? No! N-no, of course not! That'd be like….a shark liking a seal! No!"

At her raised eyebrow, he slumped back in his chair and sighed. "I don't know," he finally admitted, pressing his hands together in his lap. "Maybe. I just know that I was really worried about her. She's been my friend since we were toddlers, Keesh. I don't like it when my friends get hurt. It…hits too close to home," he mumbled, staring at his clasped hands.

Keesha gave a small smile and looked up as the door opened and their classmates poured into the room. "I know. And Carlos, you know I wouldn't laugh at you about something like that," she said softly, holding out a hand.

He smiled thinly and took it. "I know. Thanks, Keesh," he murmured as she pulled him to his feet and into a brief hug.

"Are you two all right?" Ms. Frizzle asked, walking over and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. The two nodded quickly and the frizzy red head smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling. "Well then, I say we take a field trip to the hospital and visit Dorothy Ann!"

The class cheered and Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Frizzle, didn't she _just _leave for there?"

"And what about the Presidents Day party? We built all the monuments and made the presidents faces and everything!" Wanda cried, gesturing to the piles of snacks and decorations.

Ms. Frizzle winked. "Why don't we take the party to her, class?"

The kids cheered and Carlos grinned, flushing slightly as he caught Keesha watching him with a smirk on her face. "I say that's a great idea, Ms. Frizzle!" the boy said in delight, slipping his soggy shoes onto his feet and heading for the door.

He paused in the doorway and glanced back, an impish look in his eyes. "You could say…it's a _monumental_ idea."

He ducked out of the room, grinning as the class cried out behind him, "CARLOS!"

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**I feel like you can't go wrong with bad puns and ending it with the shouting of Carlos. **

**Idk what I'm writing anymore lol.**

**Review?**


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